Moving back to Ireland - Plasma TV advice needed please!

Celtic_Jim

Hello guys I am returning back to Ireland ( Sligo ) after 20 years over in the uk ( Birmingham ) I am very interested in buying a plasma TV before i go back home and would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me I have heard SO many conflicting tales about the TV set up over in Ireland :mad: I thought i would ask some people who know what there talking about like you guys here :cool: Firstly if i buy the plasma in the uk will it work for me when i get to Ireland ? or do i need some kind of an adapter ? Or would you advice me to get the Plasma in Ireland ? Are they widely available ? Also will my DVD/VCR combo ( Sony ) work back in Ireland ? Any info at all would be very welcome I am sure you guys will understand i don't wish to spend such a huge amount of money on a plasma and then find when i get home it will not work for some reason....I know Ireland is region 2 with DVD discs and on the Pal set up like the u.k , But as i said above there seems to be so many different tales its getting real confusing ? God moving house is stressful enough you know Thanks for your time in this matter..

Lump

Don't buy a plasama, they're crap value for money, and crap quality. I'd buy a decent widescreen.

Seriously Plasama's depreciate about €1,000 in the first month....

It'll work in Ireland, but again there's little point getting one unless you plan on getting Sky or cable. Analogue on a plasma will look crappy.

John

Celtic_Jim

Thanks for your prompt reply Lump :cool: Yes I definitlely plan on getting Sky digital once i am back home, I have it here for the sport I wouldn't wish to be without it now. Although what you say about the Plasmas is worrying I was looking at the panasonic viera range or maybe the Hitachi ? Do these brands go down hill so quickly also ? Once more thanks for taking the time to reply Lump. At least i know if i decide to get one that it will work over in Ireland :cool:

Krusty_Clown

You're hardly buying a plasma to re-sell it a month or even a year later, so I wouldn't be overly concerned about the depreciation (but do bear it in mind). Plasma / LCD / Cathode ray - you're going to see a simillar % depreciation regardless of which device you buy..

Everyone has an opinon on the LCD Vs Plasma discussion, with what seems like equal numbers supporting each option. At the end of the day, you're going to be the one sitting in front of it every day for eight hours ( ), so the best thing to do, is go to a few show-rooms and see what you like..

As for buying it in the UK, a couple of considerations:
1) Warranty if anything goes wrong - do you/ can you send it back without going bankrupt?
2) Transporting plasmas is not a straightforward job. I beleive they need to be cushioned horizontally etc. etc.. have you given thought to how you're going to get it home?
3) Price - definite potential to save some money by buying it in the UK, but weigh it up against the disadvantages. Have you done price comparisons with Irish shops, or online retailers delivering to Sligo?

But otherwise, it should work fine. You'll have no problems with your DVD player, but you may face problems with the tuner on your video, if you go for an analog TV reception option (i.e. NTL/terrestrial aerial). If it's Sky, it'll be Scart, and should work fine. The Sky signal we receive over here is the same one you receive in the UK. We just have different viewing cards.

On that note, if you have Sky Satellite at the moment, consider just holding onto your Sky Card and digibox, and continuing your Sky payments. Then all you'll need to do is mount a dish, and you'll continue to receive the same channels (albeit without RTE/2/TV3 etc - which you may be able to pick up on terrestrial Aerial). Phew - long post.

Celtic_Jim

Thanks for all these valid points Krusty :cool: The more i think about it the more i think that i will purchase the TV in Ireland ? Is there many shops that would ship to the Sligo area ? I know it would be more expensive this way ? But like you said if something went wrong, I would be in big trouble having purchased it in the uk its good to know that my Sony DVD/VCR Combo will work okay over in Ireland with sky digital that is a relief That is an excellent idea about the Sky Viewing card and box Would they let me do this ? If so that would be one less problem Once again thanks for being so helpful its much appreciated.


Jim

Lump

Jim, can you look in the other thread on this board. The one with Projector in the title for more views on Plasama's. I don't want to type it all out again.

John

Carpenter

Lump wrote:

Don't buy a plasama, they're crap value for money, and crap quality. I'd buy a decent widescreen.

Seriously Plasama's depreciate about €1,000 in the first month....

It'll work in Ireland, but again there's little point getting one unless you plan on getting Sky or cable. Analogue on a plasma will look crappy.

John

Hi
I am looking for 1 and cannot find 1 for 1000 euro no way

Lump

Eh do you know the meaning of Depreciate.... Hang on I'll get you a definition....

From Dictionary.com
de·pre·ci·ate ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d-prsh-t)

1. To lessen the price or value of.

John

Lump

Also, check out....

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63948&highlight=Plasma+pro+con
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89760&highlight=Plasma+pro+con

for some users reviews....

John

Carpenter

oooooooo what a nice man u are

Lump

Meh, spread teh knowledge and all that

John

Celtic_Jim

Thanks Lump :cool: For the excellent links I really appreciate your help Now all i have to do is decide which plasma to purchase :rolleyes: But as i said in an earlier message, I will wait till i get back to Ireland it seems the sensible thing to do ? Thanks again Lump....

Lump

No worries, good luck with the purchasing.

John

hshortt

heh heh, I just bought a Pioneer 435 XDE from the UK and had it shipped over for 1,000.00 euro less than the high street prices here. This is unfortunately another thing you need to consider.... the higher prices for everything!!!

Warranties are mostly international, and most manufacturers will actually send someone to your home to diagnose any issue. makes sense really, too hard to take a screen off the wall, package it, ship it etc without damaging it.

The thing to look out for if you are going to bring one back, is that the tuner will operate on UHF/VHF which is the system used in Ireland. Also, the one you do get must have an analouge tuner as there is no digital freeview in Ireland... yet.

Cheerio
Howard

Celtic_Jim

Thanks for this valuable info Howard :cool: Its much appreciated, Are you happy with your - Pioneer 435 XDE ? What shop did you purchase it from to get it deliverd to Ireland as this could prove convenient for me Howard ? I plan on using it with sky digital when i purchase it. Once more thanks for the info Howard...

Good Luck

Jim

hshortt

Got mine from http://www.tvandvideodirect.com shipping was 85 pounds sterling, but other companies were quoting 190 pounds sterling for the same kit.

The Pioneer is excellent, top of the class so far in that it's high def ready, also 43 inches (an extra inch always helps ), Looks great on the wall and has a picture that's almost hypnotic.

Cheers
Howard

Krusty_Clown

Celtic_Jim wrote:

That is an excellent idea about the Sky Viewing card and box Would they let me do this ?

Don't tell them! Just continue to pay your subscription!
For all your satellite question answered, visit the satellite forum.

Celtic_Jim

Thanks Howard / Krusty for all your help its much appreciated :cool: I am thinking along the lines of getting the - Pioneer 435 XDE myself As its seems to have some future and will not be out of date in a year or so ? It will cost a little extra now, But in the long term its a better investment And I plan using Sky Digital with it So I think i will go down that road Thanks Howard for the link to were you purchased your plasma :cool: That seems like a good site and its good to know that they ship to Ireland that means a lot as when I get back to Ireland in the coming months I will order the plasma from there ? Also thanks Krusty for the digital card info :cool: I will be taking your advice for sure Once more thanks!

Jim

richieg

Has anyone had to deal with customer service from these sites, what site and what was it like?
What is the story with warranty, do stores here honor it or do you have to go back thru the website and how good is that?
Can anyone recommend a good store to see something like a pioneer, hitachi or panasonic running. Doesn't really matter where as I could travel, preferably in Limerick or Dublin.

Loobz

If you have a nice white washed wall, why not get a projector instead? Its half the price and 4 times the size at least? Obviously a projector would not suit everyones needs (connectivity, wall/room space) but its well worth thinking about it.

If I was in the position to spend at least 2 grand on a tv thats what id do. Heck, some projectors on the market are sub 2000 and pack a punch.

digiking

If you can get an lcd, quality is far superiour to plasma...

Digiking